Facility Effects for Electrospray Thrusters

View Video Presentation: https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2022-1361.vid The underlying mechanism of thruster-to-facility coupling in electrospray propulsion devices has recently been identified as secondary species emission (SSE). To achieve successful long-life flight operation, the discrepancy between thruster behavior in the flight and ground environments must be resolved. A summary of SSE mechanisms is provided, along with an overview of how thruster life and performance quantification can be heavily impacted by SSE. The presented paper also provides summaries of key knowledge gaps concerning SSE mechanisms pertinent to electrospray thruster development.